Singing and Drumming

By Celeste Halliwell, PhD University of Lethbridge,

“The drum then as now is said to be the heartbeat of the Creator. The significance is that the drum is one instrument used in every social and ceremonial occasion for making music” (Long Standing Bear Chief, 1992).

Blackfoot Traditional Outdoor Guides

 “The rhythmic drumbeat believed to echo the heartbeat of Mother Earth, lays the foundation for song and prayer, with the thunder and lightning residing within the drums themselves” [3]. The heartbeat connects to the spirit world [2], as well as a means of staying connected to their people [3].

Those who sing with drumming know it is something beautiful to Creator, which is usually accompanied with prayers for the request of the presence of Creator and holy spirits to ward off illness [1]. There are also different types of drums for various ceremonies: sweat lodge drums, Pow wow drums and hand drums, all of which serve distinct spiritual and social elements within tribes [3]. Drums have been made from the hides of buffalo, elk, and horse; more commonly today from hides of deer and buffalo [1].

Songs and chants sung include social songs, love songs, sad songs, and sacred songs. Some songs are sung to an individual seeking a vision during fasting. Songs of the First Nations people are mostly chants that have an organizational pattern to them. The sacred song usually accompanies a dance, such as the Thirst Dance or the Sun Dance for sacred ceremonies. The drumming will have certain beats, and the songs will have particular patterns with pitch and rhythm for that ceremony [1].

 The Hand/ Stick Game is a form of gambling or bartering among the native people. There is always drumming and singing during the Hand Game where the hiding team drums and sings to distract their opponents from guessing the correct hand holding the bone of interest [1].

There are songs for social dances, round dances, rabbit dance, grass dance, owl dance and the shawl dance. Some of the songs and chants are so old people don’t even know the origin of them. Some people develop new songs, change the drumbeats, and/or add new vocal characteristics and rhythm [1].

Good singers and drummers must learn and memorize all of the songs and beats, so when they are called upon to perform at various occasions they are prepared [1].

 Darcy Turning Robe is a powwow singer with a storied heritage in Traditional Blackfoot singing and drumming. He has stated in an interview with the intertribal series:

Closer to Home

“Traditional Blackfoot singing is neither really high or really low, it is fairly steady and loud. The drumming is similar to Rhythm and Blues for me. The singing are loud vocals like in opera. The Blackfoot have never changed that style, we just kept going with it. I’m fifth generation and our style hasn’t changed. What keeps me with music is travelling, sharing music and songs. Sharing our new songs. I love showing the youth there is another way to experience life. I feel like I am singing to the creator. When I sing it feels like I am doing something right in my life. When I dropped tobacco in the river, I looked up and asked Creator for guidance. It felt like good medicine. When the wind blew at me it felt like something came at me and I started singing it. It just already wrote itself. It’s a different language, my grandpa said. When you sing a song, we don’t understand what it is saying, but to Creator it is a language. We have round dance songs. Some are healing songs. It gives everybody energy, or it gives everybody a soothing feeling” [5]. “The drum itself has its own spirit; every drum speaks to a person” [6].

Jaron Weasel Bear is a Piikani singer and drummer who presented at the Blackfoot Confederacy Youth Camp:

My traditional Blackfoot name is Sooyaniskiipoyii, which means Singing in the Water and was given to me by my great grandmother. She said, “this boy is going to be a good singer”.

Jaron addressed the youth with words of encouragement: “I went through roadblocks with addictions but singing and drumming brought me out of it. I strongly believe in encouraging others to do their best. I went to an Elder to help me through my roadblocks, who told me there are always lessons to learn from these experiences”.

“Drumming and singing keeps me going. I was very fortunate to meet some good people while I was growing up. They took me under their wing because they saw that I had a gift. For me drumming and singing is my passion and I come from a long line of forefathers who were good drummers and singers. My father was a bundle holder for ceremonies. When he passed away, it became my responsibility to hold and care for the bundle. I also have to be at every ceremony; it is a big responsibility and I need to sacrifice time for them. Those are things I’m connected to but drumming and singing I have been doing for a long time, since I was very young. I started my own drum groups beginning in school because it felt like a gift to me. The drumming and singing have led to who I am today. I’ve learned more about my culture, to clean my own hides to make my drums. Most of what I do is through my culture, and I try to work hard all of my life. For me prayers are important, but songs are just as important. We have had too many of our people taken”.

“We used to use the rattle with singing before we used drums. A long time ago, I think it was Black Plume, used to count coup1 possibly to steal some horses, and came across a drum the Sioux people were using. As time went on the Sioux and Blackfoot people made peace treaties. The Sioux came to the Blackfoot camp and recognized a drum the Blackfoot tribe had. Instead of arguing or fighting about the fact that the Blackfoot tribe had a Sioux drum, they instead transferred it to the Blackfoot people. When they do the transfer of the Sioux headdresses, they don’t use the smaller hand drums, they have to use the large drums for ceremonies we sit around [7].  

Smudging Ceremony, Native American Customs & Traditions

The drum is used for all ceremonies to ask Creator to bless the people of the community and it is also a way to ask for help. “When the drum has been purified in the smoke of sweet grass, cedar or sage, it becomes a sacred instrument” [1]. All drums are to be cared for with respect, pride and honor as Elders are treated within society [3].

Notes: 1. The Plains Indians were known to count coup, a traditional way of showing bravery against an enemy with the hopes of intimidating them [4].  

References

1.      Long Standing Bear Chief (Gray, Harold, E.) (1992). Ni-Kso-Ko-Wa: Blackfoot Spirituality, Traditions, Values and Beliefs. Spirit Talk Press: Browning, Montana, U.S.A.

2.      Justo. (2023). Authentic Native Drum Making & Techniques: A Traditional Guide. Native Tribe Info. Retrieved online May, 2024 from: Authentic Native Drum Making & Techniques: A Traditional Guide - Native Tribe Info.

3.      Drummerly. Native American Drums History and Origins. Retrieved online May 2024 from: https://drummble.com/native-american-drums-history/.

4.      Wikipedia. Retrieved online July 2024 from: Counting coup - Wikipedia.

5.      Turning Robe, D. (2018). The Intertribal Series/ director Trevor Soloway. Soloway Entertainment, Calgary, Alberta.

6.      Turning Robe, D. (2019). The Healing Power of Drumming. Retrieved online July 2024 from: https://closertohome.com/articles/com-2019-05-09-the-healing-power-of-drumming/

7.      Weasel Bear, J. (2024). In person, Blackfoot Confederacy Youth Camp at University of Lethbridge.